Numbers aside, ODU still a bit of a mystery heading into CAA opener

After three blowouts that featured video game offensive numbers and often overmatched opponents, the truth is that Old Dominion coach Bobby Wilder is uncertain how good his fifth-ranked team is.

He and the Monarchs get a more accurate gauge noon Saturday when they host 18th-ranked New Hampshire in front of the usual sellout crowd at Ballard Stadium in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams.

"I feel like we've gotten better from Duquesne to Hampton to Campbell," Wilder said Monday. "But this will be the test. This is where we'll find out if we have improved from last year."

Following last Saturday's 70-14 weenie roast against Campbell, the Monarchs are No. 1 in the country in scoring (57.33 ppg) and total offense (618.33 ypg) and third in pass offense (411.67 ypg). Quarterback Taylor Heinicke is second in the nation in total offense (441.67 ypg) and third in pass efficiency (177.62).

Defensively, ODU is ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense, pass efficiency defense and tackles-for-loss. The Monarchs are in the top 15 in scoring defense (14.67 ppg) and pass defense (122.33 ypg).

The stats are nice, purely from the standpoint of program recognition, but they all come with an asterisk, given the competition — particularly Duquesne and Campbell, which field limited-fund programs.

"Honestly, there's no way to be able to quantify what's the level of improvement," Wilder said. "We could pore over the statistics and say, boy, that looks good. You're No. 1 in the country in this, this and this. Your defensive stats are so much better.

"I've always appreciated the fact that the CAA has two sets of statistics: non-conference statistics and then the conference ones."

Wilder said that in evaluating New Hampshire, he has paid closer attention to their games this season against FCS schools Holy Cross and Central Connecticut State and to last year's CAA games. He puts little stock in the Wildcats' loss at Minnesota.

"I try to gauge as much as I can off of the conference (play)," he said. "I did the same thing last year — it was more of our conference games to evaluate our players. When you start playing running backs like Andrew Pierce and the like, then you find out how good your defense is.

"We'll find out more about our offense this weekend, when we play a good defense. Are we as good as everybody is telling us we are right now? We'll find out when we play a solid defense with the top linebacker in the country."

Wilder was referring to UNH linebacker Matt Evans, last year's Buchanan Award winner as the top defender in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Hedging aside, the eyeball test tells Wilder that his team has improved from last season.

"I think we're better in all three phases right now," he said. "I just don't know how much better we are. I get the sense we're more explosive on offense. I think we're a much better tackling football team when I watch our defense and our coverage units on special teams. I see better tackling.

"I feel like we're much more athletic as a football team. Some of the new players who have joined us — Caleb Taylor and Andre Simmons, our two transfers — and then a lot of these freshmen we're playing right now on special teams, are very athletic. We've never been this good on our kickoff coverage unit as we are now. What that is, is 10 guys who can run, running down the field and making tackles. I feel much better about those areas."

New Hampshire has the nation's longest active streak of consecutive playoff appearances, with eight in a row. Wilder, a New England native who played and coached at Maine, has a particular appreciation for the accomplishments of the Wildcats and coach Sean McDonnell.

Wilder said that UNH has had the CAA's best program for the past eight years because of its consistency. Other top-shelf conference programs, even those with recent national championships, have had lean years and missed the playoffs. UNH reloads year after year at a place without the local talent base or facilities of many other programs.

"Whatever plays any of us run, I go back to the fact that he's got a system in place that's been impressive to watch because it's consistent," Wilder said. "It's almost like it doesn't matter what the name is on the jersey. You can pull up New Hampshire stats going back to 2004 … and the stats are almost the same every year. It's just a different name inside the jersey, whether it's the quarterback, the running back, the defense. Even the last couple years, they weren't as strong on defense as they had been previously, yet they're in the playoffs. They find a way to win games."